The Dangers of Faulty & Underinflated Tires

According to recently-released statistics, every year, 40,000 Americans die in auto accidents and only nine percent of the cars out there on the road have properly inflated tires. In fact, under inflated tires are significantly contributing to dangerous accidents. Because many of these accidents involve teens or inexperienced drivers, a campaign launched by state departments—“Beyond the Driving Test”—is directed at families and encourages them to check their tire pressure and tread every month.

Underinflated tires and those with worn-out treads can be extremely dangerous, often blowing out on the road and leading to an accident. But how often is this due to owner error versus, for example, the auto dealership? Many people reguarly take their car in to be serviced—you would be surprised to find out just how often those who are in charge of ensuring that your car is safe for the road overlook something or negligently fail to replace tires, leading to an accident.

Lawsuits

For example, in 2014, the court entered a judgment close to $4 million against one company–Flemington Car & Truck Country–for continually failing to replace tires in their service department, leading to an accident caused by a blown out tire that lead to severe injuries for one family who was on their way to Florida one year. Specifically, the company’s employees failed to follow company policy and replace one faulty tire, ultimately acting with reckless disregard for their customer’s safety. As a result of the accident, one family member continued to suffer from migraines, insomnia, hearing loss, and post-traumatic Parkinson’s after undergoing surgery. Another family member developed dementia as a result of the accident.

In addition, the dealership’s employees actually found abnormally worn front tires earlier, but due to negligence and oversight, this information was not reflected in the inspection report. When the family visited again three months later due to a fuel odor, the tires passed the dealership’s multi-point inspection, indicating that the technicians involved failed to properly perform their duties. When the family returned a third time—three days before they drove to Florida—the inspection report noted that the tires were worn out, yet still, the service technicians did not recommend tire replacement at that time. According to the dealership, the technician did not review prior inspection reports, which is a violation of company policy. As a result, the jury found that there was not only negligence, but “[wanton indifference] to a high probability of injury” in failing to recommend tire replacement.

Our Personal Injury Attorneys Can Help

If you or a loved one has been injured as the result of a faulty tire, the experienced auto accident attorneys at Lavalle, Brown & Ronan, P.A. can help you move forward. You may be due compensation, depending upon the circumstances in your case. Contact our office in Boca Raton for advice. Our Florida auto accident attorneys have decades of experience recovering compensation for injury victims.

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